Action is long overdue to tackle careers guidance crisis

It is depressing and disappointing that yet another major report into careers advice services across England has highlighted key problems with the availability and consistency of provision for young people (see news pages).

These issues have been raised repeatedly during the past few years – ever since, in fact, the government decided to cut funding for the national network of Connexions centres and instead ordered schools to fill the resulting black hole in careers advice without any additional funding.

Since then, there have been numerous reports, all damning, compiled by a range of organisations and bodies, including MPs on the Education Select Committee, Ofsted inspectors, the Confederation of British Industry, the Gatsby Foundation, IPPR and others. This most recent report has come from the National Careers Council (NCC), which itself has previously raised similar concerns in other reports published since its inception.